Sectional bookcase.



No. 713,655. Patented Nov. I8; 1902.

A. LAWSON.

SECTIONAL BGUKCASE.

(Application filed June 25, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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A. LAWSON.

SEGTIONAL BOOKGASE.

(Application filed June 25, 1901.) (No Model) 2 Shady-Shea! 2.

TTED

ALBERT LAWSON, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

SEGTIONAL BOOKCASE.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 713,655, dated November 18, 1902.

Application filed June 25, 1901. Serial No. 65,964. (No model.)

To all 'IU/LOTIY/ it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT LAWSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Sectional Bookcases, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to construct a sectional bookcase in which the sections are securely connected together without the employment of additional fastening devices.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an isometrical representation of myimproved sectional bookcase as seen from the front. Fig. 2 is a similar view as seen from the rear. Fig. 3 is an isometrical representation of the top section. Fig. l is an isometrical representation of the bottom section. Fig. 5 is an isometrical representation of the removable cover for the top section. Fig. 6 is an isometrical representation of the removable top to the shelves. Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse section of the bookcase. Fig. Sis a sectional View of the connection between the sections of the bookcase. Fig. 9 is avertical section of the front portion of a shelf and the parts immediately connected therewith.

The bottom section of the bookcase coinprises the ends 1, front 2, and horizontal baseboard 3, all connected together in any suitable manner. The upper edges of the ends are provided with reduced tongue-like extensions 4, having lateral flanges 5. The top section comprises the top proper, 6, ends 7, hinged thereto, and a front 8. The hinges 9 are located at the lower inner edges of the ends in a manner to permit the ends to fold upon the top proper, 6. The lower edge of each end 7 is provided with an extension 10, having an enlarged section 11, forming between them a longitudinal groove into which one of the flanges 5is adapted to fit. The intermediate sections are composed of like parts each placed together in a like manner and each comprising a shelf 12, to which are hinged ends 13, a removable top 14 for the shelves, a removable back 15, and a removable front 16. The lower portions of the ends are provided with an extension 17, having an enlarged end 18, and a longitudinal groove formed in each extension on its inner face below the enlarged end, and the upper portions of the hinged ends are provided with an extension 19, having an enlarged end 20, as shown at Fig. 8, a longitudinal groove being thus formed below the enlarged end 20. The hinges 21 are located so as to be flush with the inner surface of the ends and extend above the surface of the shelves. The top for the shelves is provided with recesses 22, which receive that section of the hinges secured to the upper surface of the shelves and serves to present a smooth surface upon which the books rest, and the recesses hold the top in place and prevent its drawing out. To the front edge of the shelves is secured a strip 23, which extends below the lower surface of the shelf, and to the front edge of the ends are secured cleats 24.

The upper and under faces of the shelves and the inner faces of the ends near the rear of the case are provided with grooves 25,which receive the removable back 15.

The front edges of the shelves and ends are provided with grooves 26, and the top portions of the ends have recesses 27.

The movable front 28 has its ends provided with cut-away portions 29, and rollers 30, supported by the ends of the intermediate sections, form guides for the fronts.

In building up a bookcase the first intermediate section is located on the bottom or base portion, so that the shelf will be supported by the ends of the bottom section. The ends of the intermediate sections are raised into a vertical position, which will cause the enlarged lower portions of the ends of the intermediate section to engage the enlarged upper ends of the bottom section. The back is placed in the grooves of the ends and in the groove in the upper surface of the shelf. The front is then placed in position, the lower edge resting in the groove in the upper-face front edge of the shelf and inside of the strip 23. The next intermediate section is placed upon the first intermediate section in the same manner that the first intermediate sec tion is placed upon the base, and the top is placed upon the top intermediate sect-ion in the same manner that the intermediate sections are connected. A cover, (shown at Fig. 5,) comprising the board 31 and edge strips 32, is placed in connection with the front and ends of the top section, so as to hold the ends in connection with the ends of the upper intermediate section. The top 14 for the shelves is placed in position, when the case will appear as shown at Figs. 1 and 2. By this construction of a sectional bookcase the various sections are connected together in such a man'- nor that the case as a whole can be moved about and as rigid as if made in the ordinary manner.

The mannerofconnecting the sections forms a seat or rest for the ends of the shelves, and when the ends are located ,in their upright position a groove will be formed,within which is located the end of a shelf, which will hold it against displacement.

The grooves formed in the front upper edge of the shelves allow the doors to make a dustproof connection at their lower edge, and the recesses in the under-face front edge of the shelves permit the doors to be raised sufficiently to permit them to swing outwardly at their lowerends.

I claim as my invention 1. A knockdown sectional bookcase having in its construction superimposed sections, each section comprising a shelf and end pieces hinged thereto, the said end pieces of one section being provided with means constructed to be brought into interlocking engagement with an adjacent section when the said end pieces are set up and the section is in its superimposed position to lock the sections against vertical separation, and which means will be released from said interlocking engagebeing such that the said dovetail connections will be brought into interlocking engagement when the hinged ends are set up and will be released from such engagement when said ends are folded.

3. A bookcase comprising a bottom section, a top section, and one or more intermediate sections, said sections being provided at their opposite ends with interlocking dovetail connections, each intermediate section comprising a shelf and two ends hinged to the shelf, a removable back, a movable door, and a top removably supported upon each shelf, the construction being such that the said dovetail connections will be brought into interlocking engagement when the hinged ends are set up, and will be released from such engagement when said ends are folded.

4.. A bookcase comprising a bottom section, a top section, and one or more intermediate sections, all the sections being provided at their opposite ends with interlocking connections, and the top section being provided with hinged end pieces having means at their lower edges serving to interlock with the adjacent intermediate section when said end pieces are in a vertical position, which means will be released from interlocking engagement when the end pieces are folded, and a removable cover for said top section, provided with fixed end pieces adapted when in position to fit between the said hinged end pieces and hold the latter vertical and in their interlocked position.

5. A bookcase comprisinga bottom section, a top section, and one or more intermediate sections, all of said sections being provided with interlocking connections, each intermediate section comprisingashelf having hinged ends, and a removable top for each shelf having recesses on its under side to take over said hinges, whereby the top is permitted to lie flush with the shelf and is held against forward movement.

6. A knockdown sectional bookcase comprising a bottom section provided at its opposite ends with vertically-extending tongues having enlarged upper edges, one or more intermediate sections each comprising a shelf having hinged ends, the lower edges of which are provided with longitudinal grooves arranged to interlock with the enlarged edges on the tongues of the lower section when the hinged ends are set up, and the upper edges of the said hinged ends of the intermediate sections being provided with tongues similar to those on the bottom section, and a remov able top section having hinged ends provided with longitudinal grooves in the lower edges thereof arranged when the said hinged ends are set up to interlock with the enlarged edges on the tongues of the adjacent intermediate section.

7. A sectional bookcase comprising in its construction superimposed sections, each section consisting of a shelf and end pieces hinged thereto, the upper and lower edges respectively of said end pieces being provided with complementary interlocking connections constructed to be brought into engagement and lock the sections against vertical separation when the said end pieces are set up but which will be disconnected to permit of a separation of the sections when the end pieces are folded.

8. A sectional bookcase comprising in its construction superimposed sections, each section having inwardly-folding end pieces, the abutting edges of the end pieces of adjacent sections being provided with interlocking male and female connections constructed to be brought into engagement and lock the sections against separation in a vertical direction when said end pieces are in their set-up position, but which will be disconnected to permit of a separation of the sections when the end pieces are folded inward.

9. In a sectional bookcase, a section having vertical extensions at its opposite ends, said extensions each comprising an enlarged and a reduced portion, and a second section removably fitted to the first-named section and provided with hinged ends having grooves in theloweredges thereof that correspond to and interlock with said extensions on the firstnamed section.

10. In a sectional bookcase, a section having vertical extensions at its opposite ends, said extensions each comprising an enlarged and a reduced portion, and a second section removably fitted to the first-named section and comprising a bottom having hinged ends, said ends being reduced in thickness at their lower edges and the reduced portions provided with grooves that interlock with the enlarged portions of the extensions on the firstnamed section when the said hinged ends are in a vertical position.

11. A bookcase comprising detachable sections, one of which sections is provided with hinged end pieces that are grooved at their lower edges on the inside, and the other of said sections being provided with end pieces constructed to interlock with the said grooves in the first named section when the said hinged end pieces are in a vertical position.

12. In a sectional bookcase, a section having vertical tongues at its opposite ends provided with lateral extensions, and a second section removably fitted to the first-named section and comprising a shelf provided with hinged ends, the lower edges of which are provided on their inner sides with longitudinal grooves arranged to interlock with the lateral extensions on the tongues of the said first-named section when said hinged ends are in a vertical position.

13. In a sectional bookcase, a section having vertical tongues at its opposite ends provided with lateral extensions, and a second section removably fitted to the first-named section and comprising a shelf, ends hinged to said shelf at points removed from their lower edges, longitudinal grooves formed in the inner sides of said hinged ends and arranged to interlock with the tongues of the first-named section when said hinged ends are in a vertical position.

14. In a sectional bookcase, a section having vertical tongues at its opposite ends, said tongues being located intermediate the opposite edges of said ends whereby a ledge is formed on each side of each tongue, and each tongue being provided with alateral extension, and a second section removably fitted to the first-named section and comprising a shelf adapted to seat on the inner ledges of the ends of said first-named section; ends hinged to said shelf, each end provided with a longitudinal groove at its lower edge on the inside, said grooves being arranged to interlock with the tongues of the first-named section.

15. In a sectional bookcase, a section having hinged end pieces, the lower edges of which are grooved on their inner sides to provide one-half of an interlocking connection.

16. In a sectional bookcase, a section comprising in its construction, a shelf, and end pieces hinged to the shelf, the lower edges of said end pieces being grooved on their inner sides adjacent to the ends of the shelf to provide one-half of an interlocking connection for another section.

17; In a sectional bookcase, a section comprising in its construction, a shelf, and end pieces hinged to the shelf at points removed from their lower edges, the inner sides of the end pieces being provided with longitudinal grooves that are disposed opposite the ends of the shelf, said grooves constituting onehalf of an interlocking connection.

18. In a knockdown sectional bookcase, superimposed sections, each section comprising a shelf and end pieces hinged thereto, the abutting portions of the end pieces being provided with interlocking connections constructed to be brought into engagement with each other and lock the sections against vertical separation when the said end pieces are in a vertical or set-up position but which will be disconnected to permit said sections to be separated when the end pieces are folded.

19. A bookcase comprising a bottom section, a top section, and one or more detachable intermediate sections, the said top and intermediate sections being provided with hinged ends, the opposite edges of the hinged ends of all said intermediate sections being provided with one-half ofa tongue-and-groove connection, the construction being such that the tongue-and-groove connections will interlock with each other when the end pieces are set up and hold the sections against vertical separation, but will be disengaged from each other to permit the sections to be separated, when the hinged ends are folded inward.

20. In a sectional bookcase, a section having hinged end pieces, the upper and lower edges of which are grooved respectively on their inner sides, said grooves constituting interlocking connections for a corresponding section.

21. In a sectional bookcase, a section comprising in its construction, a shelf, and end pieces hinged to the shelf at points removed from their lower edges, the inner sides of the end pieces being provided with longitudinal grooves that are disposed opposite the ends of the shelf and above the lower edges of the end pieces, each groove constituting one-half of an interlocking connection.

ALBERT LAWSON.

Witnesses:

A. O. BEHEL, E. BEHEL.

ICS

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